Readings in Open Access

We see it all around us: industries are changing and adapting in response to new information and communications technologies. In the music industry, for example, a struggle is underway between companies with a financial interest in defending their pre-Internet business model and the demands of the emerging online marketplace. Similarly, journal publishing’s entrenched print regime is locked in a battle with those who seek to achieve the benefits of a more open exchange of information by utilizing “open access” publishing strategies.

The SPARC guide, by Greg Tananbaum, is not an advocacy document promoting the launch of Open-access Funds. Rather, we aim to help institutions that are curious to better understand why funds are being launched, the considerations and decisions involved in their creation, and how existing funds are being managed. Should you choose to move forward with creating an open-access fund, this guide will help you to do so with your best foot forward. (Feb 2010)

Income Models for Supporting Open AccessThis Web site and accompanying guide provide an overview of income models currently being used to support the open-access distribution of peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific journals. These resources will be a useful tool both for publishers exploring new potential sources of income and for libraries weighing where to direct meager library funds. (September 2009)

Open Access BibliographyLiberating Scholarly Literature with E-Prints and Open Access Journalsby Charles W. Bailey, Jr.This resource presents over 1,300 selected English-language sources of all types and media that are useful in understanding the open access movement's efforts to provide free access to and unfettered use of scholarly literature.

Open Access FAQThe Public Library of Science, an open access publisher of high-profile journals in the biology and biomedical fields, offers this resource to answer frequently asked questions about open access.